Japan celebrates nuclear watchdog appointment

Japan, the only nation to suffer atomic bombings, welcomed the appointment of one of their own to head the top nuclear watchdog and expressed hopes for a world without nuclear weapons.

Tadatoshi Akiba, mayor of Hiroshima, the southwestern city that suffered nuclear attacks in 1945, was among those offering congratulatory messages today.

Japanese diplomat Yukiya Amano was chosen by the 35-nation International Atomic Energy Agency as its next head in Vienna yesterday – the first time a Japanese person was chosen for the job.

Major Japanese newspapers ran the news on their front-pages, and it was the top item on nationally broadcast TV news.